Patient care unit with a bed

• US 7,708,690 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2005
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dragerwerk AG & Company KGaA (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Drager Medical AG & Co KG (Dragerwerk AG)
• Inventors: Beckmann, Udo, Gerder, Henning
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser; Robert L
• Application Number:
  US11/058,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20050267339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6892 Mats
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05 Parts, details or accessories of beds devices for prevention against falling out A47C21/08, A47D7/00 ; mattresses A47C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5433 Remote metering

Abstract

A patient care unit (1) with a bed for accommodating a patient makes possible undisturbed accessibility to the patient by avoiding cable connections between sensors at the patient and the measuring instruments or treating devices (2) belonging to them. The patient care unit (1) has a receiving unit for receiving sensor signals of the patient, transmission features for passing on the sensor signals to a transmitting unit in the patient care unit (1) or to a cable connection (4) for connecting the patient care unit (1) to the power supply, so that the sensor signals enter measuring instruments or treating devices (2) that belong to them for the evaluation of the sensor signals in a wireless manner or via the power supply.

Claims

1. A patient care unit with a bed for accommodating a patient, the patient care unit comprising:

means for receiving sensor signals of the patient from sensors that are not a part of the patient care unit; and

means non-detachably integrated to the patient care unit for passing on the sensor signals to a cable connection for connecting said patient care unit to a power supply, so that the sensor signals reach said corresponding measuring instruments or treating devices for evaluating the sensor signals via the power supply.

2. A patient care unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for receiving sensor signals of the patient comprise electric sensor connection lines and terminals associated therewith.

3. A patient care unit in accordance with claim 2, wherein said electric sensor connection lines and terminals are connected via plug type connections, or have an inductive coupling.

4. A patient care unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the patient care unit or a bed support is provided with a receiving antenna for receiving sensor signals of the patient.

5. A patient care unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the sensor signals of the patient are related to measured physiological variables, especially blood pressure, oxygen and/or CO₂ concentration in the blood, and electrode signals from EKG electrodes.

6. A patient care unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein electric lines are present for passing on the sensor signals into the patient care unit.

7. A patient care unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the patient care unit is an operating table or a hospital bed.

8. A patient care unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the treating device is an anesthesia apparatus or a respirator.

9. A patient care unit system, comprising:

a measuring instrument or treating device;

a patient care unit bed for accommodating a patient, said patient care unit bed including support structure and a bed surface, said support structure for supporting said bed surface;

a plurality of sensors operatively positioned relative to the patient with each of said sensors generating sensor signals;

a concentrator including terminals, said sensors being operatively connected to said patient care unit bed via said terminals for receiving sensor signals of the patient at said patient care unit bed, said terminals being fixed to said patient care unit bed with said cable concentrator permanently integrated into and fixed to said patient care unit support structure for movement with said support structure;

a cable connection fixed to said patient care unit bed support structure for movement with said support structure, said cable connection including a power supply connector for connecting said concentrator to a power supply, said cable connection being connected to said cable concentrator for supplying power to said terminals; and

transmission means permanently fixed within said patient care unit bed for movement with said support structure, said transmission means including a transmitter and receiver connected to said cable connection for passing on the sensor signals from said cable concentrator to said measuring instrument or treating device via said cable connection power supply connector, so that said sensor signals reach said corresponding measuring instruments or treating devices for evaluating the sensor signals via said cable connection and said power supply.

10. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said connection of said sensors to said cable concentrator is by connection lines connected to one or more of said sensors and connected with one or more of said terminals, via plug type connections, or via a wireless transmitter connected to one or more of said sensors and an antenna connected to one or more terminals of said cable concentrator or via a communication device connected to one or more of said sensors and a communications device connected to one or more of said terminals of an inductive design.

11. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the system or a bed support is provided with a receiving antenna for receiving sensor signals of the patient, said receiving antenna being connected to one of said terminals.

12. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the sensor signals of the patient are related to measured physiological variables, especially blood pressure, oxygen and/or CO₂ concentration in the blood, and electrode signals from EKG electrodes.

13. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the system is an operating table or a hospital bed.

14. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the treating device is an anesthesia apparatus or a respirator.

15. A patient care unit system comprising:

one or more measuring instruments or treating devices connected to a power source via a power cable for providing power to said one or more measuring instruments or treating devices, said one or more measuring instruments or treating devices each including at least a power transceiver for sending and receiving signals over said power line via said power source;

a patient care unit including a bed with bed surface for accommodating a patient and a bed support structure supporting said bed with bed surface;

a concentrator integrated into and fixed in said bed support structure, said concentrator including terminals;

a power supply cable integrated into and fixed in said bed support structure, said power supply cable providing power to the patient care unit and to said cable concentrator;

a plurality of sensors operatively positioned relative to the patient with each of said sensors generating sensor signals for said one or more measuring instruments or treating devices;

an operative connection from each of said sensors to one of said terminals; and

a transmission means non-detachably connected within said patient care unit including a transceiver for passing on the sensor signals from said cable concentrator terminals along said power supply cable to said measuring instruments or treating devices via said power supply for evaluating and/or displaying information provided from or derived from said sensor signals.

16. A system in accordance with claim 15, wherein said operative connection from one of said sensors to one of said terminals comprises a power and communications cable providing said one of said sensors with power via said one of said terminals and transmitting said sensor signals from said one of said sensors to said one of said terminals.

17. A system in accordance with claim 15, further comprising an antenna connected to one of said terminals wherein said operative connection from at least one of said sensors to one of said terminals comprises a wireless transmitter at said one of said sensors transmitting said sensors signals from said at least one of said sensors to said antenna connected to said one of said terminals.

18. A system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the sensor signals of the patient are related to measured physiological variables including one of blood pressure, oxygen and/or CO₂ concentration in the blood, and electrode signals from EKG electrodes wherein said one or more measuring instruments or treating devices comprise an anesthesia apparatus or a respirator.

19. A system in accordance with claim 15, wherein the patient care unit is one of a hospital bed and an operating table with electric adjustment means connected to said power supply cable for adjusting a position of said bed surface.

20. A system in accordance with claim 15, further comprising an inductance integrated into said patient care unit and connected to one of said terminals, at least one of said sensors including a transponder coil for receiving signals and power from said inductance and transmitting said sensor signals from said at least one of said sensors to said inductance.

21. A system in accordance with claim 15, further comprising an inductance integrated into said patient care unit and connected to one of said terminals, at least one of said sensors including a coil for transmitting said sensor signals from said at least one of said sensors to said inductance, said at least one of said sensors including a battery for powering said at least one of said sensors.